Something Strange is Happening

From an ancient homily for Holy Saturday....

"Something strange is happening – there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.

He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: “My Lord be with you all.” Christ answered him: “And with your spirit.” He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”"

Holy Week Reflections: Sanhedrin

“If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”

John 18:30

Trumped up charges. Deception. Misinformation. Half truths. Embellishments. Lies. Lies. Lies.

A reflection of modern day culture.

Lies. 

"We cripple ourselves with lies." - Jim Morrison 

Lies are cowardly and weak because we use them as a weapon which the other person cannot see. It's covert destruction. Incognito weapons of mass deception.

The origin of lies? Selfishness. The culprit? Culture.  

We live in a culture that teaches us from the very earliest years to look of for number one. We grow up with a self-centered mentality that learns to defend itself at any cost. The means of self-preservation become irrelevant. And lies become one of the means that causes the most pain. Not only do lies destroy the victim, they eventually destroy us as well. We can only get so much blood on our hands before someone notices.

Then you become branded:  LIAR

You become a member of the Sanhedrin.

"Crucify him!" because.... "A lie cannot live" - Martin Luther King Jr.  Lies lead to death.

"What is truth?" - Pontius Pilate

 "I am the....truth."

Jesus came into this world as the quintessential example of truth. When the world is presented with absolute truth, nothing can distort the truth but lies, because truth is truth. By lies, distortions, half truths and deception, Christ was presented as a criminal to be accused so that those in power would not be.  Lies led to death.

"Let's get him, before he gets us!"  

Lies cannot exist during Lent, because Lent is about self-evaluation. If we lie, we only lie to ourselves. Lent is a mirror, more clear than any reflection we can behold. Lent is about presenting the truth, not of others, but ourselves. If we lie, we don't falsely accuse someone else, we falsely accuse ourselves.

Lies lead to death. But through Him, we have life. 

Lord, You who were falsely accused, guide us in perfect truth as we make our way through this season of Lent. Help us to choose truth, not lies. Help us to choose life, not death. Help us to reflect complete truth to ourselves so that we can come before you completely blameless. And in doing so, help us to reveal truth to a culture built on a foundation of lies. Amen    

Lenten Reflections: Holy Week

"The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest heaven!" 

Matthew 21:9

Saturday night, the lights of the city were in view. 

JERUSALEM: Next Exit

We stretch our legs and cast off the dust that we had been carrying for 40 days.

Our long journey will soon come to an end.

It's been a "long and winding road", hasn't it?

Palm Sunday. The embodiment of Lent and all that we've been through and experienced. Utmost joy and deepest pain rolled into one. Celebration and mourning. Two birds killed with one stone.

The overwhelming welcome for Jesus and His followers would soon give way to a roller coaster ride of events and emotions that would leave Jesus rejected, beaten and killed, and the disciples scattered, confused, dejected and terrified. They had no idea what was to come.

A joyous "Hosanna!" would soon morph into a bitter and cynical "Crucify!"

The one they called "Messiah" and begged, "Save us!", would soon become someone that they saw no salvation in whatsoever.

We are no different. Standing at the gates of Jerusalem, cheering with self-righteous cries of group-think, we change what and where we find our salvation.

Yesterday morning we shouted, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." 

This week we'll join the crowds: "Crucify Him!"     

Lent will soon come to an end. We will cast off the dust that we've carried since Ash Wednesday. Our mourning will turn to joy. Celebration. Culmination. Long awaited redemption.

But reality stares us in the face with those who rejoiced over 2000 years ago. Rejoicing is short lived and transparent.

We join the crowds. We condemn. We spit. We beat and torture. We crucify.

Let's not kid ourselves. We still have a few difficult days ahead of us. Have we learned enough from Lent to carry us to Golgotha? I can see it in the distance. Can you? Does Christ look better to us on his thrown, or on the cross?  

Lord, as we join with the crowds in declaring, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.", help us to not turn our backs. Help us not join the crowds. Help us to stand on our own if we have to. We know how easy it is to follow others, even when it means betraying You. Keep us close. Let us suffer with You as we celebrate as well. Because it is in our suffering that we find our perfect joy. Amen 

Stations of the Cross: Station 14 - Jesus is Buried

 “Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus… With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away.  He was accompanied by Nicodemus… Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it…the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.”

                                                
   John 19:38, 41, & 42 

Cold

Barren of life 

Buried in a

garden tomb.

Like a seed fallen to

the ground.

Waiting to rise.

Rise again.

Lord, help us rise again

after dying with You.

Like You, Jesus

I will rise again. 

Art by Lindsey Leigh - 2006

Stations of the Cross: Station Thirteen - Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross

“But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead…one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.”

John 19:33 & 34  

Taken from the cross.

You died trusting in

Your Father’s care,

faithful unto death.

Why cannot we trust?

Why is it so hard?

By your death, Lord

Give us an unfailing

trust in You,

knowing that Your

death was not the end. 

Art by Lindsey Leigh - 2006

Stations of the Cross: Station Twelve - Jesus Dies

 

“Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’  A jar of wine vinegar was there and they gave him wine.  Jesus said, ‘It is finished!’  With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

John 19:28 & 30

 

It is finished.

Death’s finality.

Certain.

God’s servant,

 crushed in sorrow.

Pierced for our offenses.

Shall we not stand

 watching, Lord

mourning the sins

You bear,

rejoicing in the pardon

You bestow?

Art by Lindsey Leigh - 2006

Stations of the Cross: Station 11 - Jesus is Nailed to the Cross

“carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha).  Here they crucified him, and with two others.”

John 19:17 & 18

Nailed to the cross

Hands and feet  

You paid for sin

 Past Present Future

Limitless love

For me

The world

 The ultimate sacrifice was paid.

My sins? My faults?

My life?

Is it only You hanging on the cross,

or me as well?  

Art by Lindsey Leigh - 2006

Stations of the Cross: Station Nine - Jesus Falls the Third Time

“I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint…My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.”

Psalm 22:14 & 15

Like water poured out completely.

As a dry dessert.

Your strength gone.

You fall again, as if to the dust

 of death.

By your third fall, Lord

give us courage before

our trials, sufferings  and pain.

Give us patience to go on.

Help us in our need.

Lift us above our weakness.

Art by Lindsey Leigh - 2006 

Stations of the Cross: Station Ten - Jesus is Stripped

 

“They stripped him…and knelt in front of him and mocked him. ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ they said.  They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.”

Matthew 27:28 & 30

They divided Your garments

and cast lots for Your clothes.

Stripped of all dignity.

Humiliation

Shame

You had nothing of Your own.

By Your despoilment, Lord

clothe us in Your grace and mercy

which is rich beyond words and

all earthly possessions.

Art by Lindsey Leigh - 2006 

Stations of the Cross: Station Eight - Jesus Meets the Women

 

“A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.”

Luke 23:27

Women wept as You passed

You comforted them:

“Weep not

 for me but for Your

 children.”

May the grace of

this meeting

be kept alive in our hearts, Lord.

Let us weep for humanity.

Those that suffer.

Those that are alone.

Art by Lindsey Leigh - 2006

Stations of the Cross: Station 7 - Jesus Falls the Second Time

 

“But I am a worm and not a man; scorned by men and despised by the people.  All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads:”

Psalm 22:6 & 7

 Can God fall? 

A  mighty God

whose hands uphold

all that is?

By Your second fall, Lord

remember how weak we are.

Remember our

helplessness.

Remember our human frailty,

and come to our

Assistance when we fall as well.

Art by Lindsey Leigh - 2006

Stations of the Cross: Station 6 - Veronica Wipes Jesus' Face

“whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me…anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.”

Mark 9:37 & 41  

 Jesus, You struggled in agony.

 But one woman,

breaking away from fear

and the angry crowds,

kindly washed

 Your bleeding face with her

 thin veil.

Something so simple.

A towel. A cup of cold water.

 A loving word. A touch.

Lord,

help me value such small

 things, so great when given

in Your name. 

Art by Lindsey Leigh - 2006